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There is no other place that Michael McKinson would rather be than on the B-side and in the underdog role in his unbeaten opponent’s home country.
The choice to next face red-hot welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. was a no-brainer for McKinson, who takes his second fight in U.S on August 6th at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
The two were scheduled to fight back in March in Los Angeles, but Ortiz withdrew with an illness. He was replaced by Alex Martin – which McKinson outboxed over ten rounds.
The fight makes sense from a title contention standpoint, with Ortiz rated number-one and McKinson number-three in the WBO welterweight rankings.
It makes even more sense for the unbeaten Brit as a fight he’s sought well before being offered the challenge.
“When there’s a lot of talk about these fighters worldwide—not just Ortiz—me being a very hungry professional, I’ve messaged my manager numerous times to get me these guys,” McKinson revealed upon finally landing the fight. “I’m not in boxing just to be good and have good achievements. I’m in boxing to have great things.
“I asked [my management] about Ortiz [last year] when he was making a lot of noise. I’ve finally been given this opportunity. This is huge. I’m very blessed to be given this opportunity. Very grateful.”
It will be an uphill climb for McKinson (22-0, 2KOs), a 27-year-old British southpaw from Portsmouth, Hampshire who enters the fight as a big underdog. Ortiz (18-0, 18KOs) is being backed by many in the industry to extend his perfect knockout-to-win ratio.
Not only has Ortiz been a knockout every time out; the unbeaten welterweight from Grand Prairie, Texas has yet for an opponent to extend him beyond the eighth round. That moment came in his most recent fight, overcoming an early scare to drop Egidijus Kavialauskas five times en route to an eighth-round stoppage last August in Frisco, Texas.
What McKinson lacks in knockout power, he makes up for in ring smarts.
The talented in-ring stylist has gone ten rounds in each of his last seven starts, including three straight unbeaten opponents against whom he scored a combined six knockdowns. He bagged his first career win on the road in a ten-round nod over then-unbeaten Chris Kongo last March in Gibraltar, followed by a lopsided points victory over Poland’s Przemyslaw Runowski (19-2, 5KOs) last August in Brentwood, Essex, England.
A fight with Ortiz is a huge leap in competition, though—as noted by his longtime desire for such an opportunity—one which he believes is right on time.
“I get hit a lot less than Vergil’s last eighteen opponents,” notes McKinson. “I’m very smart. He’s never fought a style like I got. He’s never faced anyone as confident as I am. I plan on bringing lots of problems to him. I’m very respectful but I’m very confident.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox